It ain't half hot Mum!

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Toby was up before everyone else as usual to go for his morning run. Even at that unearthly hour is was stinking hot. The temperature didn't seem to drop at all over night and we were all grateful that the villa has really good air conditioning. When he got back he made breakfast for us and we sat out at the table by the pool. The majority of the day was spent either sunbathing, swimming or cooling off in the shade. James and Jonathan like to play card games so we had a few family games of UNO after lunch. Harriet promised to teach them President /arsehole and so we also had a few games of that. Jonathan, who is a dramatic child, made sure everyone knew when he was president or even vice-president by singing it as loud as possible.

Jonathan made sure that the schedule for the week was drawn up. Even though he was in charge nearly everyone had something to add, but eventually it was finished. He planned an activity for each day but has alternated busy days with quieter ones.Toby had noticed a sign for a monastery when he was running.

The monastery's up behind the hill behind the villa, so it can't be seen from the pool. Kirsty had been there before and thought it was worth a visit. Toby thought it would be good for an afternoon walk. Jonathan and James didnt fancy coming with us as they had been before, but they did think it would be a good trip to do.It turned out to be 4 km away and it was uphill the whole way in about 40degree sunshine. We had taken some water but it wasn't enough and there was little shade which made it very hard. We passed some olive groves on the way and could see the evidence of the bush fires the whole way up. Harriet did not enjoy the walk. A kind nun stopped and asked if we wanted a lift whilst we were waiting for Harriet to get her breathe back. Unfortunately we were about 100m away by this point so it seemed better to finish on foot.When we got to the monastery there was a further path to a cross on the hill. Harriet and Fiona had walked enough but Toby went up to see if the views were better, which they weren't. Fiona and Harriet were glad they made the decision to send him ahead!

Kirsty came and picked us up. It was bliss climbing back in the air conditioned car. Even though it had been hot and humid in Indonesia, it was nowhere near as hot as this and we certainly weren't acclimatised. We got back to the villa in time for showers and the car ride to Lindos.

Lindos is a beautiful town set on an escarpment about 15 minutes from Lardos. The buildings are all whitewashed and contrast with the blue sea all around. Above the town is an acropolis. The streets are all tiny and no cars can go in. We parked at the top of the hill and walked in to find a restaurant. Kirsty and John have several favourite restaurants in Lindos and we booked a special one for Tuesday evening. Tonight we were eating in one that they had been to before. The good restaurants have roof top terraces, so it is a bit of a walk up a few flights of steps to get to your table- even harder for the waiters who are up and down like yo-yos.

After dinner we played mini golf back in Lardos. Even at that time of night it was still boiling. Toby, John and Jonathan formed one group and Kirsty, Fiona, Harriet and James another. The boys were much more competitive than the girls with Jonathan claiming the overall title. We all had fun though and even managed to watch a bit of the Olympics with commentary from Dubai before going to bed.

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